Chapter Five: The Fell Lion
"Don't be a spider, don't be a spider, don't be a spider," muttered Ron under his breath.
"Spiders have more eyes than that," said an exasperated Ginny.
"Can't be too careful."
Everyone had moved against the wall and Malfoy's eyes were scanning the darkness above, as if any minute now something would swoop down to resque him.
"Nothing is going to stand between me and stopping Voldemort," Harry said firmly, though his hand was shaking as he raised his wand. He stepped forward, "Show yourself!"
Harry held his breath as the creature's claws thudded heavily across the ground. The glowing eyes floated closer and closer in the gloom until the face of a man appeared in the narrow beam of light from Harry's wand.
"Put your hands up," Harry ordered.
The man with the strange, glowing eyes didn't move.
"I said put them up!"
"Er. . . . Harry?" said Ron, his voice oddly highpitched. "I don't think he has any hands . . ."
"What?" Harry snapped, but when he looked down, he saw it was true.
Ron's shaking hand was aiming his wand-light at a large, tawny claw on the ground -- the claw of a lion. He moved his wand-light up and it was followed by a leg, then a furry chest and mane that followed smoothly around the face of a man. The green, glowing eyes in the man's face continued to watch them blankly.
"Holy cricket," whispered Hermione.
"You can say that again," gulped Ron. "The lion ate a man, and now its wearing the bloke's face!"
"No," Hermione snapped, and even in this situation she seemed annoyed that no one read as much as her. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It's a Manticore!"
Harry's legs were shaking, "Did Fantastic Beasts tell you how to kill one?"
"Yeah, let us know when you feel like telling us!" squeaked Ron, shaking Hermione's arm.
Hermione brushed Ron off, her eyes darting back and forth as she thought quickly. "Their skin repells almost all known charms," she whispered quickly, pacing in circles.
"Oh, that helps!" cried Ginny as the creature began to snarl.
"The sting causes instant death . . ." continued Hermione under her breath.
"Oh, now I really feel confident," shouted Ron.
The Manticore was lowering itself, preparing to lunge. Harry backed into Ron and the two of them pulled Ginny down as the creature dove at Malfoy. Malfoy threw himself out of the way and scrambled across the floor, his face twisted in alarm.
The Manticore turned instead upon Harry, who dodged out of the way as the creature's claws ran up the wall instead. It made an aboutface, ran down the wall, and lunged across the chamber. Harry yelled and ran beneath it.
"A little help, Hermione!" he yelled as he found himself trapped beneath the Manticore's legs.
The Manticore was jabbing at Harry with its long, scorpion sting, trying to stick him as he rolled back and forth.
"Harry!" Ginny cried.
"Hold on, Harry," yelled Ron. He grabbed rocks from the ground and pelted them at the Manticore, but the rocks only fell away pointlessly and the Manticore didn't even look up.
"What was that old rhyme?" Hermione muttered to herself. "The Manticore is swift and wise . . . but its weakest spot is always its . . . its . . ."
"Hermione!" yelled Harry as Ron continued attempting to attract the Manticore's attention.
"Its weakest spot is always its . . . its . . ."
"For heaven's sake! It's eyes!" yelled Ginny, pointing her wand at the Manticore's face. She yelled a curse, and the Bat Bogey hex busted through the creature's vulnerable human features.
The Manticore snarled in agony and blundered in circles, its large claws smashing rocks to dust. The five of them scrambled around its thrashing legs like scurrying ants as the creature's blind blows struck chunks of falling debri from the walls.
"This way!" yelled Ron, dragging Harry toward the tunnel the creature had been guarding.
"No!" Harry yelled. "Malfoy -- "
Malfoy was trapped against the wall looking pale and frightened, unable to move as the Manticore blundered on. Harry broke from Ron and dashed back into the rain of debri, his legs wild, his arms over his head. He dodged between the Manticore's thick, thrashing legs and grabbed Malfoy's arm.
"Come on!" Harry yelled.
Malfoy sneered and shook his head.
Harry pulled his wand and relinquished the spell he'd put on Malfoy's mouth.
"Come on!" he yelled again as the Manticore roared. "You have to move or else this whole place will cave in and you'll die! Grab hold of my jacket! Alright?"
Malfoy swallowed in disgust, but glanced up at the raining rocks and debri and nodded. They ran together, Harry in the lead, to the opposite tunnel where the others waited. Harry thrust Malfoy in ahead of him and was just fleeing into the tunnel after the rest and when a rock caught him on the ear, and he sank to the ground, spent.
"Not so horrible a lad, is he?"
Harry opened his eyes. Dumbledore was standing at a window with his back to Harry, his hands folded.
Harry looked at himself quickly. He was seated in one of the chairs in Dumbledore's office. They were at Hogwarts. Dumbledore, however, was still resplendid in his white robes. He turned to Harry and smiled.
"You mean Malfoy?" asked Harry in surprise. He was starting to get a little used to these frequent visits with Dumbledore.
"Yes, I do."
Harry's nose wrinkled, "Headmaster, you can't think -- he's still working for Voldemort!"
"Is he?" Dumbledore lifted his eyebrows and turned to Harry. "Our young Mr. Malfoy has been in hiding, Harry. His mother has been helping him to hide with Polyjuice Potion. He was waiting in the Hufflepuff mansion for someone to come across him so he could take their place by force. Granted, his method of fleeing Voldemort isn't one I would have advised, but there you have it."
"So when we were in the basement and Zacharias fell . . ." said Harry slowly.
"Young Malfoy was discovered by Zacharias hiding amoung those boxes and well . . ."
"And he took Zacharias's place while we were watching the piano open. No wonder he suddenly didn't want to go." Harry broke off thoughtfully, then added, "but I still don't pity him. If Voldemort catches him, it's just what he deserves."
"But Voldemort hasn't captured Draco," answered Dumbledore, suddenly stern. "And Draco's decision to leave the Dark side may rule the fate of us all."
Harry was silent as Dumbledore watched him. He couldn't see how whether Draco lived or died could rule anyone's fate. All he knew was that he hated Draco and had only saved him because it had been the right thing to do.
"Don't be so quick to deal out death and judgement, Harry," continued Dumbledore with a glint in his eye. "The universe repays an eye for an eye so that we don't have to." He smiled.
Harry nodded gruffly.
"I think it's about time you rejoined your friends, don't you?" asked Dumbledore, still smiling.
Harry rose, uncertain of whether or not he should exit through the door. He usually just woke up. But Dumbledore nodded encouragingly, and Harry moved across the room, turned the knob, and was back.
Ginny was staring at him, her hands on either side of his face.
"Oh, good, I was so scared," she cried, throwing her arms around Harry's neck.
Behind her, Hermione's cheeks were streaked with fresh tears. Ron was holding her and looking relieved, while Draco hovered against the wall, pale and sneering as he watched Harry with wide, gray eyes.
"You've got to stop blacking out on us, mate," said Ron, smiling.
Hermione was breathless, "I'm so sorry, Harry, I was so stupid! How could I forget --"
"It's alright, Hermione," said Harry, getting to his feet. "The important thing is that everyone is alright."
"And by everyone, he doesn't include you," added Ron, watching Malfoy.
Malfoy hadn't taken his pale eyes from Harry's face. "Why?" he said, the sneer firmly in place but somehow incredulous at the same time. Everyone looked at him, but he kept his focus on Harry. "Why did you save me, Potter?"
"Yeah, what about that?" said Ron, wrinkling his nose at Harry.
Hermione elbowed him.
"It's what decent wizards do, Malfoy," said Harry grimly.
Malfoy didn't answer. He didn't even sneer. He just stared thoughtfully at Harry, not seeing him, his face even more pale than before. Harry moved past him down the tunnel, his wand-light aimed ahead.
"Come on!"
Everyone followed, Ron waving Malfoy's wand at him teasingly. But Malfoy didn't rise to the bait. He merely stood against the wall, thinking a long moment, before he followed the rest.